----- Original Message ----- From: "Graham Powell" <
bleekerbooks@hotmail.com> To: <
rara-avis@icomm.ca> Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2003
7:15 AM Subject: RARA-AVIS: Re: Noir
> One thing that shapes our thinking about hardboiled
and noir is the
> influence of history.
Agreed. Our present-day perception of hardboiled books
written in the 20/30/40s as being "noir" is entirely as seen
through a rear-view mirror.
>The group of hardboiled writers that formed
around
> Black Mask in the '20s (including Hammett, Daly,
Paul Cain, as well as
> editor Joseph Shaw) clearly felt that they were part
of a movement, that
> they were doing something new and
different.
More likely, they just felt they were part of a group of
writers whose manuscripts were being accepted regularly.
Without exception, Black Mask writers were simply journeymen
freelancers, working for a couple of cents a word;
unpretentions down-to-earth scribes with an understanding of
their market. I'd guess they'd be honestly puzzled by being
categorized as artistes in any particular literary
movement.
-- Sidney.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 13 Feb 2003 EST